General Assembly of the Organization of American States

The General Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the Organization of American States (OAS).

The General Assembly came into being as a part of the restructuring of the OAS that took place following adoption of the Protocol of Buenos Aires (signed 27 February 1967; in force as of 12 March 1970), which contained extensive amendments to the Organization's Charter.

The Organization's member states take turns hosting the General Assembly on a rotating basis.

The states are represented at its sessions by their chosen delegates: generally, their ministers of foreign affairs, or their appointed deputies.

The General Assembly's powers include setting the OAS's general course and policies by means of resolutions and declarations; approving its budget and determining the contributions payable by the member states; approving the reports and previous year's actions of the OAS's specialized agencies; and electing members to serve on those agencies.